Jamaica: 100 years of black consciousness advocacy

By Louis MOYSTON

JAMAICA has had a rich history of creative resistance during slavery. Similarly, during the post-slavery era, many Jamaicans have played pioneering roles in the development and the advancement of the black consciousness idea and movement. This article seizes the opportunity of black history celebration to open a window into stories of some Jamaicans who have made their mark on the idea and movement. The article focuses on those to whom very little attention has been paid, such as John Brown Russwurm, Dr T E S Scholes and Una Marson. It is important to pay special attention to the quality of their contribution in order to ask, how well have we built on what they started? It is important for us to explore how some of these ideas may awaken the "years of lethargy" among black people in Jamaica.

Before and after 1776, Jamaica had an active trade relationship with North America. Port Antonio was one of those active trading ports; it was the setting in which John Brown Russwurm's father, a white American businessman, lived. Winston James (2010) in The Struggles of John Brown Russwurm, 1799 to 1851, writes about his birth to a black woman and his journey to the USA, with his father, where he attended school. The writer notes that, at the time of his graduation from Bowdoin College, he may have been the earliest or one of the earliest blacks to graduate from a tertiary institution in America. James notes that it was during his years in college that he began writing on black struggles. Inspired by the Haitian Revolution and the black Republic, he made it his duty to defend the young black regime against propaganda depicting the Haitian people as savages. He moved to New York after graduation. There he developed and published his ideas instilling greatness in racial pride and the back-to-Africa message. He emerged during the earlier period before another early pan-Africanist and back-to-Africa advocate Edward Wilmot Blyden (1823-1912).

Russwurm met Samuel Cornish, a fellow African-American, in New York during the 1820s. They established Freedom's Journal, the first newspaper to be owned and operated by Africans in the USA. According to James, the editors announced in their opening statement if the Journal that "we wish to plead our own cause, for too long have others spoken for us". Russwurm saw the paper as an "organising force" among unorganised blacks in America, aiming to "awaken African-Americans from the lethargy years". His writings advocated the role of family and the cultivation and growth of industry among blacks by way of education and training. He saw education as that driving force towards higher achievements in science. He guided black people in America along the path of race consciousness through which they could become useful and responsible citizens. He became disillusioned with America and went to live in Liberia, where he was established as a governor of that new Republic. A few years after his death, in 1851, and in one of the neighbouring parishes to Portland, the Paul Bogle movement advanced the black consciousness struggles in another context at Morant Bay, St Thomas.

During the 1850s the systematic programme of land deprivation among the black masses continued; the setting in St Thomas and Jamaica was characterised by high taxation, high unemployment, high prices for basic food stuff, and severe and oppressive injustice. Thee clarion call for "skin for skin", black unity was condensed into an assault against the agents of the planter/colonial power relations in that parish. This violent insurgency of 1865 may have inspired a new thrust of black consciousness among a few emerging black intellectuals: Dr Robert Love (a Bahamian who resided in Jamaica) and Dr T E S Scholes. Both thinkers noted the role of the colonial/planter society and its systematic deprivation of the black masses' access to land. They saw this as a deliberate strategy to keep blacks and the country underdeveloped. Gordon K Lewis (1968) in The Growth of the Modern West Indies, describes Dr Love as the publisher of the old Jamaican Advocate newspaper calling for black representation in the Legislative Council, as well as, his advocacy of black consciousness. According to the writer, he lived in Haiti, where he encountered 'negritude' and black political representation. In the book, The Jamaican People 1880-1902 Race, Class and Social Control, Patrick Bryan (2000) describes Dr Love, an Anglican pastor, as a secular-pragmatist; and Dr Scholes, a Baptist, as another secular intellectual, and that they expressed their concerns about the land for the ex-slaves of Jamaica. Bryan writes that Scholes placed the question of land tenure in the broader context of the imperial system of the appropriation of "native resources", and that it was a conspiracy by the British Empire to systematically deprive the black masses access to land in Jamaica. Noting the endless sources of labourers among the black masses, Bryan writes that Scholes spoke about the high rate of taxation, land hunger, and the ignorance of scientific agriculture as hindrances to the development of the black masses and the country. Scholes was a significant Jamaican scholar; his major works are: Sugar in the West Indies and The British Empire and Alliances. This tradition, especially the role of spirituality and religion in politics, continued at the level of the role of revivalist preacher, such as Alexander Bedward, his native Baptist tradition rooted in the race thinking of Paul Bogle.

Marcus Garvey, the most popular pan-Africanist, whose movement excelled in the USA, inherited the rich legacy from Bogle to Love and Scholes, among others. After Garvey was Leonard P Howell, who showed the black masses that there was no hope in the colonial/planter Jamaican society, called for a rejection of the dominant European values and the wrong doctrine advanced by the Church. He inspired a new awareness among that black lower class that in part ushered a new era of black unity, setting the foundation for the emergence of the powerful trade union movement. Una Marson emerged during the rise of this movement. She was an early pan-Africanist and one of the earliest black feminists of international proportion during the 1930s. She lived in England where she worked with the likes of other pan-Africanist such as George Padmore, Jomo Kenyatta, and C L R James among others. She was also secretary to His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, whom she accompanied to the League of Nations conference where the Emperor submitted his case on the Italian aggression and occupation of Ethiopia.

These persons have set the standard. It is important that we take note of their worth and refine and expand on their works. They are important sites for historical excavation by young scholars.

Louis E A Moyston
thearchives01@yahoo.com

February 12, 2014

Jamaica Observer

Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) recommends that the Bahamian Government not implement Value Added Tax (VAT) on July 1, 2014 ....explore other forms of taxation instead

Teachers Join Vat Opposition

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Nassau, The Bahamas

 

The BAHAMAS Union of Teachers’ (BUT) president said yesterday that its 4,000 members were adding their voices in opposition to the “regressive” Value-Added Tax (VAT), as there was still a “great deal of uncertainty” as to how the profession would be impacted.

In a notice to the BUT’s membership highlighting their opposition to VAT, Belinda Wilson said that while teachers were on the list of professionals set to be impacted, it was still unclear how.

“There is a listing of 86 professions in the VAT documents which says these are the professions which will be affected by VAT, and at number 80 it has teachers, but no one is able to say to us what that means,” Mrs Wilson said.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty. I believe that if you want VAT to be successfully implemented then we need to be sure that at the ground level every aspect of it is clear to the wider public.”

The BUT also contends that the revenue component of the taxation is unclear; that the Government has not given a detailed explanation with facts as to show how the fiscal deficit has occurred; and has not outlined measures to ensure that the problem will not be repeated.

The BUT added that VAT implementation has failed in other Caribbean countries such as Barbados, and the Government’s proposed 15 per cent rate is too high, with consumers left to bear the burden.

“The cost of living has increased, and even when you look at other workers, especially those at the minimum wage level, how do you on a minimum wage sustain yourself and family while taking on a regressive tax that they know from the onset will increase your expenditure at least 5 per cent?” Mrs Wilson queried.

She added “Teachers are citizens and consumers, so the teachers have light bills, water bills and they have to go into the grocery stores.

“Teachers are a part of the whole scheme of things. If VAT is going to be implemented in July, there should have been some discussions with teachers and the educational sector as to what changes may need to be made to the schemes of work.”

The BUT is recommending that the Government not implement VAT on July 1, and instead explore other forms of taxation.

The union is also calling on the Government to give a detailed plan on spending cuts for 2014 and beyond. It says that the Government should “not create a Central Revenue Agency but use the system that exists now, and improve monitoring and collection of outstanding taxes”.

Mrs Wilson has urged BUT members to sign the petitions against the implementation of VAT and make their views known to their respective MPs.

February 11, 2014

Tribune 242

Cuba and the democratic dilemma

By David Roberts:
BNamericas:



The irony of communist-run Cuba holding the presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations (Celac), and staging the second annual summit of the group in Havana, was not lost on many. One of the aims of Celac is to promote democracy in the region, and in the final communiqué member nations pledged to "strengthen our democracies and human rights for all."

Celac was set up at the behest of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez as a means of countering the influence of the United States in Latin America. It is therefore perhaps surprising, to some at least, that so many of the countries that have not been traditional allies of Chávez-Maduro's Venezuela have been so keen to get involved. On the other hand, that may reflect the new reality of Latin America, that across the political spectrum the region looks increasingly less to Washington. Whatever the case, Celac has emerged as yet another attempt at regional integration.

Cuba, meanwhile, has also changed in the seven years since Raúl Castro took over from his brother Fidel. Small businesses have sprung up across the island, travel restrictions have been partly lifted (it's high time the US did the same for its citizens wanting to visit Cuba), and Cubans can buy mobile phones and even imported cars, albeit at exorbitant prices, to name a few of the reforms implemented. Even the country's baseball players are now allowed to ply their trade abroad without the need to defect. While major political changes have yet to be seen, and probably won't be for as long as the octogenarian Castro brothers are around, the modest opening up of the economy is welcome news,

From Havana's point of view, of course, there's nothing ironic about Cuba promoting democracy. The official line is that Cuba is a bastion of democracy, just not of the western liberal-bourgeois variety, which it doesn't regard as true democracy at all. But while democracy does indeed come in all shapes and sizes, by any reasonable yardstick Cuba cannot be considered democratic. It has indirect elections to the legislature, but the candidates are vetted and there's only one political party allowed. There's no free press, no independent judiciary and political arrests are commonplace.

There are, nevertheless, plenty of examples of dictatorships far worse than Cuba's. North Korea, which also regards itself as a democratic country, is one case that springs to mind. And as Havana has clearly set out on the road to reform, the process of bringing Cuba back into the international community, even through talking shops like Celac, is to be encouraged. Economic and other reforms offer the hope that the country may undergo a smooth transition when the time eventually comes, rather than descend into chaos. One of the most effective ways to give momentum to this process would be to end the five-decades old US embargo on the island, which apart from benefiting both countries' economies, would take away the regime's favorite excuse for whatever goes wrong. Perhaps the Burma/Myanmar model of opening up and reforming, or even what's currently happening in Iran, could offer some valuable lessons for Cuba and the outside world.

February 06, 2014

BN americas

UNESCO recognizes Cuba’s educational accomplishments

• The country’s population has the highest educational level in Latin America

By LINET PERERA NEGRÍN

Herman van Hooff, director of UNESCO’s regional cultural office, reported February 5 that Cuba’s accomplishments in implementing the United Nations ‘Education for All’ (EFA) objectives are recognized worldwide.

The six objectives include expansion of early childhood care and education; provision of universal free and compulsory primary education; opportunities for young people and adults to learn life skills; the development of adult literacy, gender parity and quality education.

 

The ‘Education for All’ effort guided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is directed toward meeting universal educational needs. Progress toward meeting the objectives was described in UNESCO’s 11^th report on teaching and learning 2013-2014, recently shared in Havana.

Van Hooff assured Granma that he is pleased with Cuba’s accomplishments and mentioned several of the country’s outstanding achievements such as the early childhood education program Educa a tu hijo, quality primary education and Cuba’s renowned adult literacy campaign.

He emphasized that Cuba has the highest EFA Development index (EDI) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The rating is a composite figure based on progress on four of the six EFA goals. These are the objectives focused on universal primary education, adult literacy, quality of education and gender equity, selected given the availability of data in these areas.

The report also highlighted the fact that, among all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Cuba dedicates the highest percentage of its Gross Domestic Product to education, 13%.

Despite progress made in several countries, the report concludes that the basic EFA goals will not be achieved and that the issue of education must be a central priority on the UN’s post-2015 development agenda.

February 06, 2014

Granma.cu

Colonialism and Neocolonialism in Jamaica and the Caribbean

For many years colonialism milked Jamaica and other Caribbean countries by imposing a false identity on our people

All the post-colonial unrest and instability in the Caribbean has the footprints of traditional colonial entities

By Maurice HAUGHTON


It is now 51 years since Jamaica had to its Independence, however, it is like a baby whose umbilical cord was never severed at birth.  The baby grows up, underdeveloped with limited mobility, still attached to its mother by an extended umbilical cord.

This attachment restricts the baby's movement while giving an uncaring mother a great degree of control; she can impose her will, put unfair demands on the child, withhold food, and take from the child if the child does not conform to her wishes.  This metaphor is a depiction of neocolonial control over Jamaica.

For many years colonialism milked Jamaica and other Caribbean countries by imposing a false identity on our people, diminishing resources that affected growth and development.  In spite of the richness of these countries, they are still referred to as Third World and underdeveloped.

All the post-colonial unrest and instability in the Caribbean has the footprints of traditional colonial entities.  They usually come into the country, attach themselves to some factions, mostly opposition parties, then supply guns and ammunition, dangle the carrots, and influence elections.

Their main objective is to prevent governments that would encourage self-reliance, equality and justice for the people.  They rather keep the masses poor and needy so they can pass their breadbasket and their offering plate in which they drop a penny and take a pound.  They come under false presence as human rights advocates, freedom fighters and stability agents, while instigating and spreading propaganda to create unrest among the people.

They create artificial shortage of basic foods like bread, milk and flour so the poor cannot eat, all to undermine the Government.  Given the circumstance, any baby would buckle under such pressure, while the mother undoubtedly grins as she gets her way, just like the old days of gestation when the baby must shuts its mouth and take whatever comes its way.

During colonialism, Jamaica had to blindly ingest the unsavory meals served up by colonial powers.  They took our harvest and gave us slaves to create more harvest.  It is true, "I and I build a cabin, I and I plant the corn.  Now you look me with a scorn then you eat up all my corn".

Marcus Garvey spoke out against it and Michael Manley tried stopping it, but overpowering forces fought back, using everything from the IMF to big businesses and capitalist tactics.  Neocolonial influence is all over the Jamaica today.

After 300 years of Emancipation, and 51 years of "Independence", people are still talking about 'God Save The Queen'.  When did the Queen ever say 'God Save Michael Manley, Portia Simpson' or any of those stuff shirts who claim to represent her.

In 2009, England suspended part of the constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands over allegations of corruption.  Like a scolding mother, she usurped the democratically elected government and replaced elected officials with her own appointees.

For those who wish Jamaica was still under British rule, is that what you want?  Why not ask your fairy godmothers for a couple of slave masters and some backra massas too.

All elected officials in Jamaica must take the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty: "I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Her heirs and successors, according to law.  I remember as a young man in Jamaica watching a parliamentary debate when Michael Manley stated that he could not mean it in his heart but he was obliged to so swear.

He said, while he respects the Monarch, he did not think the people of Jamaica should have to take such an oath.  I remember the opposition pushing back on the idea.

Manley wanted true independence on all fronts and was not willing to be anybody's puppet.  He was not afraid to associate himself with those the world hated; he had a mind of his own.  Michael Manley put up a good fight against neo-colonial forces.

It's time to chase those self-serving bald heads out a town.  It's time to stand up to neocolonial forces, throw away the wigs and gowns and pay allegiance to the people of Jamaica.

Stop licking the back of Mrs Elizabeth's head on those stamps, how many Jamaicans are on British stamps? "  Jamaica, Land We Love"  - what about Jamaica's people we love.

Stop allowing the devaluation of the Jamaican dollar, stop the slave wages when people are paying an arm and leg for food.  Trinidad recently gave a 12-14 per cent wage increase across the country, it's Jamaica's time.

God bless Jamaica, but it's time the parties come together and make it about the people and not politics.

Maurice Haughton is a freelance journalist living in Philadelphia, USA. Send comments to: haughton727@ymail.com

February 03, 2014

Jamaica Observer

Jamaica... Get going with ganja!

Get going with ganja

 

Delano Seiveright, Guest Columnist:



I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Jamaica Stock Exchange's 2014 Capital Markets Conference in Kingston on investment opportunities from legalising ganja.

The last several days and weeks have seen a literal cascade of positive developments on the issue, so much so that even United States President Barack Obama stated publicly that ganja is no more dangerous than alcohol, pointed to the unfair state of affairs at the criminal-justice level, and noted that the legalisation in Colorado and Washington was "important" because it represented the decriminalisation of a commonly used substance.

Following Mr Obama's comments, we have seen former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan; former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; and Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry at one of the world's most prestigious annual gatherings of leaders, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, speak strongly about the need for marijuana law reform.

Closer to home, we have seen where yet another national poll in the United States, in the NBC/Wall Street Journal, finding that a majority of Americans support legalising ganja. Meanwhile, in Florida, medical ganja will be on the November ballot; US Attorney General Eric Holder has said that federal government will allow banks to accept deposits from state-legalised businesses; and the US's richest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates, stated that he voted to legalise ganja in Washington state and thinks implementation is going well so far.

Why the wait?

So what exactly are we waiting on? I believe that the conversation of ganja-law reform is nearing maturity in Jamaica.

A poll last year showed near 60 per cent support for relaxing the laws concerning ganja use, and if the Jamaica Stock Exchange is willing to go as far as to facilitate a session on the subject, we can all agree that a whole lot of progress has been made. Jamaica is very easily a brand name for ganja and we have a huge opportunity to let it work for us.

The investment opportunities from legalising ganja are huge, even outside of the stereotypical smoking of it.

Everyone by now should be aware of the development of Medicanja, Jamaica's first medical ganja company established by Jamaican scientist and entrepreneur, Dr Henry Lowe. Here, Dr Lowe, like several others, sees the incredible opportunities for research and product development using the medicinal compounds called the cannabinoids, the non-psychoactive compounds.

First developer of Canasol

We should never lose sight of the fact that Jamaica was one of the first countries in the world to develop a commercial product from ganja, Canasol, used to treat glaucoma. It would be a crying shame if we sat and allowed ourselves to lose out to an emerging multibillion-dollar industry in Europe and North America.

Incidentally, in 2001, the government-sanctioned, Barry Chevannes-led National Com-mission on Ganja had as one of its recommendations, "that, in order that Jamaica be not left behind, a Cannabis Research Agency be set up, in collaboration with other countries, to coordinate research into all aspects of cannabis, including its epidemiological and psychological effects, and, importantly, as well its pharmacological and economic potential, such as is being done by many other countries, not least including some of the most vigorous in its suppression." That's 13 years ago, and the report is probably gathering dust somewhere in the government bureaucracy.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance by the US federal government, meaning according to the government, it has no medical value. This makes it quite difficult for scientists to study any potential medical uses, since human medical trials require permission from federal agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and, when it comes to illegal substances, the Drug Enforcement Adminis-tration.

As soon as it's a 'go'

Given these challenges in the US and throughout the globe, Jamaica, once our government says "go", can quickly position itself as a world leader in this multibillion-dollar growth industry, given our perfect geographical location just over an hour by plane from Miami, language advantage, and the many Jamaican scientists coming out of universities here and overseas.

Time is not on our side, given developments in the United States. We cannot afford to delay any longer.

Today, Israel, about an 11- hour non-stop flight from New York's JFK International, is the medical ganja research capital of the world.

There is a lot to go around and Jamaica just needs a little of the action to make a big impact here. We are talking mega bucks for a dynamic, high-skilled, high-paid health and research tourism industry with great multiplier effects.

Already, several major international companies are looking seriously at establishing laboratories in Uruguay, after that country legalised it just several weeks ago. Uruguay is about nine hours non-stop from Miami. It is really time for us to get cracking. This is a slam dunk.

In the very least, however, we must congratulate Science Minister Phillip Paulwell for his decisiveness so far in moving the science component forward quickly. He gets it and is coordinating with his own Scientific Research Council and major stakeholders in driving the process forward rapidly.

It is important to note that recent moves in the United States and elsewhere have created an industry where many players have never even touched the plant. In Colorado alone, the industry incorporates lawyers, architects, laboratory technicians, real estate developers, academia, accountants, doctors, nurses, tour operators, agronomists, security, clerical personnel and an amazing range of spin-offs. To put it into context, Colorado has more ganja dispensaries than Starbucks.

The overall ganja market in the United States, according to some authoritative sources, is estimated to value over US$100 billion, just several billion dollars short of the alcohol industry. We are unsure of our nation's market, but the impact of legalisation on the agriculture, tourism and financial sectors would be immense. Many farmers, potential farmers, hoteliers and a litany of other businesses stand to benefit from what would undoubtedly be an increase in the number of tourists visiting the island and feeling at ease in acquiring our Brand name product.

One company in Colorado is already booked 100 per cent for ganja tours right into the summer throughout the state. Here being the home of reggae, Bob Marley and high grade, there is doubt in our minds that quality ganja tours here will be so much of a hit that operators will struggle to keep up with the numbers. The opportunities are great.

Let's get going!

Delano Seiveright is a director of the Ganja Law Reform Coalition. Email feedback to columns@ gleanerjm.com and delanoseiveright@yahoo.com, or tweet him @delanoseiv.

February 02, 2014

Jamaica Gleaner

The unpopular value-added tax (VAT) proposal in The Bahamas

The view of the people on VAT

The Nassau Guardian Editorial
Nassau, The Bahamas

Since the government last year emphasized its commitment to implement a value-added tax (VAT) the Bahamian people have been offering opinions.  While many accept that the government needs more revenue to meet its obligations, we think most Bahamians do not support VAT as it has been proposed.

The government issued its white paper on VAT in February 2013.  For months now commentators from the business community have offered their views on VAT to the broadcast and print media.  There is a VAT story in the business sections of the major papers almost daily.  Talk radio also regularly takes up the subject with Bahamians calling in to give their views.

For these reasons it was strange to read on Monday in this newspaper that Minister of State for Finance Michael Halkitis said the public’s slow response to the government’s VAT white paper is responsible in part for their delay in tabling VAT legislation.  Although he could not say exactly when the government will table the laws in Parliament, Halkitis did say it must happen before the end of February in preparation for the implementation of the new tax system on July 1.

The business community last year went as far as preparing a counterproposal on tax reform the government does not appear interested in seriously considering.  The people have spoken and they continue to speak on VAT.  They regularly point out the flaws in the proposed system.  They regularly point out the burdens it will cause on businesses and consumers.  They fear an increase in the cost of living at a time when unemployment is over 16 percent.

Halkitis said the government is listening and considering all concerns coming from every sector on VAT and that the Ministry of Finance has even “tweaked” some of its VAT proposals.  He didn’t, however, provide specifics as to what has been tweaked.

“When we say we are doing consultations and we are listening to alternatives we mean that,” Halkitis said.

“When we find out something or someone brings something to our attention that we may not have considered for whatever reasons, then we have to look at that to make sure that we are not disadvantaging anyone, particularly any business group.

“We have to look at what the consumers are saying to make sure there is nothing we overlooked, and so it is all a process.”

The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) seems married to its VAT proposal regardless of the likely harmful consequences it will have on our economy if implemented.  And now, after bringing forward a poor idea, the PLP seems to be beginning to realize that its solution to the country’s debt problem is not popular.  If that realization is delaying the VAT laws from being presented to Parliament the government should not blame the people.  It is obvious who is to blame.

January 29, 2014

thenassauguardian editorial